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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 4945, 27 January 1877, Page 2

The contest for the second seat in ths House of Representatives for Napior appears to be exceedingly fierce and perr sonal. The Government candidate is Mri Frederick Sutton, a gentleman who has achieyed a tolerably notorious reputation, owing to the frequency of his appearances as a suitor in,the Supreme Court in respect of native land purchases. As to the morality of his transactions we know but little beyond that ho has for a long time past been the object of special attorn tion"at the hands of the Repudiation party in Hawke's Bay, which claims for its patrons, if not leaders, the Hon. H, R. Russell and Mr. , John Sheehan; Most of the' other candidates sail under the'! Opposition flag,,; except , Mi\ Buchanan, who seems to be li'ingino* between heaven and earth. Ho is "patronised by Mr. John Sheehan; but in his election address he says the Ministry : may reckon on his aid if _retvirned. Mr. Buchanan ha.<; placed himself in a rather equivocal position, and we at a distance are disposed to give him credit for ingenuity,—clumsy ingenuity; perhaps,—rather than for sincerity, and we think, the safer course for the Napier people would,be to "trust him not." The Herald of Tuesday contains a long ro.port of a meeting held the .previous evenr ing, at which Mr. Sutton addressed the electors. It seems the candidate, replying to attacks made upon him by the Repudiation party, spoke a. few warm words respecting Mr. Sheehan, the result'being that; the fiery little, man was on the platr form in an instant parading his many vir--tuesbefore themultitude. With that mockf modesty ahdairof injured innocence, which' than Mr. Sheehan' few know how.more skilfully to assume, ho wailed— "In regard to vvhatovor might bo improper in his (Mr. Sheehan's) conduct as a public man, Mr.

Suttojt would be justified to speak to the electors ; but Mr. Sutton had no right to refer to his (Mr. Sjikkiian's) personal affairs while advocating, his (Mr. Sutton's) claims to represent the constituency. . Although still a young man, he had been to many meetings in the course of his life; but the present was the first at which he had heard a man build himself up on calumnies cast upon other persons. 'lt was Codlin's the man not Short.'" "The first time he had heard aman build himself up on calumnies cast upon other people," forsooth ! Why, if anyone will take the trouble to turn up Hansard he will find that abuse of others has formed the principal theme of Mr. Sheehan's speeches., .Mr. Shbehan's forte is abuse, he revels in it. In the House honorable men's private affairs were dragged to light, and by direct assertion and indirect implication the worst and basest motives imputed—imputations neither justified nor justifiable. We criticise Jiis action as a public man, ariddo not approve of reference to personal matters in political strife, but'we say unhesitatingly that,, judged by his own course of action, Mr. John Sheehan has not the right to askj and should not have the boldness to expect, a political opponent to refrain from scoring a point against him, Whatever may be the means adopted to secure it. '